


Here we go again!

by EnderWxx



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Albus being weird, Attempted Seduction, Awkward Conversations, Awkward Flirting, Awkwardness, Based on an ABBA Song, Dancing, Flirting, Hogwarts, Hogwarts ghosts - Freeform, Ilvermorny, Kissing, Kissing Attempt, Leta Lestrange is a nice kid, M/M, Seduction, Underage - Freeform, Yule Ball (Harry Potter), cuteness, everything is awkward, newt is so awkward, nice Percival Graves, no actual pairing until Newt is older, the Lestrange family are assholes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2020-01-13 11:36:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18468148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnderWxx/pseuds/EnderWxx
Summary: "The kid was out in the middle of the night with a fucking animal that looked dangerous enough to hurt other children.Upon seeing him, Newton held the beast closer to his chest and even turned a little to put his body between the creature and Percival. He lowered his wand and walked up to the student slowly.-All right, does your Prefect know that you are out?"So. Mr. Graves is teaching in Hogwarts and there's a young Newt very in love with him. Of course, Graves refuses him because he's a child and Newt plans for the long game.





	1. Does your Prefect know that you're up?

**Author's Note:**

> Based on 'Does Your Mother Know' from ABBA, because a friend inspired me, I love ABBA, I love this ship and instead of studying for tomorrow, I wrote this.
> 
> Shame on me.

The Yule Ball. Of all things that happened in Hogwarts that year, Percival thought the Yule Ball was the most uncomfortable of all. He’d been there for only a few months, met some strange little guy named Peeves, was constantly harassed for his foreign accent by a few mean house-elves and students, almost mauled by a loose hippogriff in the Forbidden Forest and scared to death by a very angry tree. 

What the fuck?

Why was this school so eager to have him killed? And he had to be there for the rest of the year, pretending to like the cold, the heavy rain and pure blood families attacking him every single week. 

Though not everything was that bad. He’d met another two professors, McGonagall and Dumble… Dumbledee… Dumbledoore. Dumbledor. Dumbledore… Yeah, that sounds right. They were kind to him, though strange in their own way. Secretive, even, but never mean to him.   
He was twenty-eight, and most professors were already in their fifties or more so he was glad to meet people his own age but that didn’t mean he was enjoying the fucking Yule Ball, from happy dancer McGonagall to Dum-ble-dore like a ballerina. No mercy for him that night.

Besides, children stared at him for too long, as their Defence Against the Dark Arts professor danced like one of them and almost having fun. Oh, if the little shits had any joke after that night he’d tie them up to the angry tree. 

So, he had to maintain some sort of dignity, and refused any more dancing contests against Dumb… Albus. Okay, he’d insisted. Minerva accepted in his place, and Percival left to take a look around, making sure kids didn’t drink alcohol. 

By the end of the hour, he’d hexed five kids from Sixth year and two from Fifth. Seventh was by far the best behaved. So he relaxed a little when rumors ran fast, because no one dared to go against Mr. Graves if they didn’t want to be expelled. 

Percival let the kids behind when another group had the stage, all students and singing improper lyrics that had the professors laughing too. These British people were fun, actually.  
He wandered the halls, and felt the deep and ancient magic within the walls, ghosts and many other magical creatures greeting him as he passed. Not all of them were fond of him because of his temper, but some tolerated him.   
He took a look around the castle, entering all the Houses’ common rooms to talk to some students that didn’t like these parties. A few didn’t attend there because of their religions, others for personal motives. No one was forced to go, so Percival wanted to make sure they were alright. 

After visiting Hufflepuff, he heard a noise and followed it through the halls. They were steps, light but sure in their direction, and then another kind of noise. Not human, definitely. So when he started to follow, he took his wand in hand, magic ready to be released and always eager to shine. His chasing around was over near the ballroom, no more music could be heard, or at least from that century. A sad violin was playing, and he was sure the ghosts had taken over the party and kids were already on their way to their dorms. 

Albus told him that would happen eventually, and all the Prefects were warned to hold the ghosts off until the kids were gathered by the adults. So, if the ghosts were already in the party, this kid was in deep trouble because they should already be in bed.

Percival walked faster and he saw the kid past the corner, sitting in a bench with some sort of a hairy beast in his arms. He wore his own clothes, not the tunic, and for that Percival took only one more second than usual to recognize him… The kid was Newt, his best friend's little brother. Theseus had warned him about Newton and how free and impossible to control he was every second of his life. He didn't listen, always had a third or fourth plan in case he couldn't get away from the beginning… Basically, everything Percival had never seen in him. Now though. The kid was out in the middle of the night with a fucking animal that looked dangerous enough to hurt other children. 

Upon seeing him, Newton held the beast closer to his chest and even turned a little to put his body between the creature and Percival. He lowered his wand and walked up to the student slowly. 

 

-All right, does your Prefect know that you are out? 

 

Newton bit his lower lip and shook his head, caressing the beast until it purred. A beast purred in Mr. Scamander's arms. Percival was going to die by Theseus’ hands if something happened to his brother and he didn't do anything.

 

-I'm sorry, Mr. Graves. I… Couldn't risk being caught in the middle of Yule with a wild kneazle, and she’s docile with me so I thought… -Newt shrugged his shoulders, looked down at his feet and waited for Percival to talk.- 

 

Newt was a quiet kid, mostly lonely, with only Leta Lestrange as his friend. Where she was loud and pure energy, Newt thrived in his calmness, but he was observant, very smart and had an innocence so pure Percival didn’t believe he was Theseus’ brother. Like, seriously… Theseus was Newt’s other side, always talking and making himself visible all the time. He was also charming in a different way and he would get people’s attention everywhere he went without even trying. 

He’d known Newt for a few years, and because he was so shy sometimes it was easy to forget Theseus had a brother. Often with his mother, not at all behaving like a kid his age, he’d always heard. 

Now it was different, because Percival was actually with the kid five days a week, teaching him how to defend himself against real dangers… and here he was, holding a damned kneazle like it was a kitten.

 

-Okay, uh… we’re going to solve this quietly. I don’t want to wake half of the professors for this but for the love of Merlin, don’t do this again. Next time an accident could happen and you or some students could get hurt. I see you know how to handle it…

 

-Her. 

 

-Handle her, sorry. -He apologized, not daring to get closer to him in case the creature got nervous.- But any other person would see it as a threat, am I right?

 

Percival nodded once and Newt did the same a few seconds later, taking a deep breath. He looked calm now, because Percival didn’t really behave like the usual teachers and professors there. And Newt knew him from seeing him around with his big brother.

 

-Can we go to the forest and release her? -Newt asked, softly now he was aware again of the danger he’d gotten himself in.- 

 

-No, I can’t allow you to leave the castle. We’re releasing her near the shed in the back and she’ll find her way back home, okay?

 

-Okay, Mr. Graves. 

 

-It’s Percival. When we’re not in class. 

 

Newt looked up and smiled with his lips pressed, not really happy but at least that was something. Still, he didn’t say his name so Percival guessed he was still going to be pretty shy with him for a while. 

The kid followed Percival, and the professor put Newt between the walls and himself so his robes and bigger frame hid him in case anyone looked his way. They met a few ghosts on their way out, but they were minding their own business and most of them were wailing near the walls or the gardens, not even bothering to look up. 

Percival sometimes felt sorry for them, all eternity trapped in the halls of the castle, having only their deep fears and sad memories to share with others like them.  
He shook those thoughts and put all of his attention on Newt and their little mission, hiding from nosy ghosts and even casting a spell on themselves to avoid Peeves because that little monster had no respect at all.   
Once they were almost outside of the castle, Percival allowed Newt to walk a few steps out to put the kneazle down. She purred against his leg and Newt crouched to caress her head, say something Percival couldn’t hear and then… he kissed the creature. 

Percival stood there dumbstruck, trying to wrap his head around what he’d just seen. When Newt came back to him he looked sad but didn’t say a word, only nodded to the direction they came from. The professor escorted him back until they heard the music again. This time it was a little louder than before, more instruments and Percival wasn’t an expert but his mother taught him well what a waltz was. 

 

-Mr. Graves… I mean, Percival, sir… -Newt hesitated and stopped in the middle of the hall, not in the open where the ghosts were happily… dancing?- What you’ve done for me was kind and very thoughtful. Most professors would have just… well, I can’t have any more points taken from my house, you see? Are you going to tell the Headmaster?

 

Newt looked up and he could see something very different from his brother’s eyes. This kid hid a very powerful talent under all that shyness. Where anyone saw meekness Percival found only a veil to mask a real danger.   
The kid, fifteen, remember, bit his lips and took two steps towards him. Not by chance, Percival found himself between the cold wall and Newt. A kid, trying to seduce him. Or thanking him… by seduction. Wrong, anyway.

 

-Newton, stop. -The adult put a hand on his shoulder to make him stop, keeping Newt at an arm’s length.- What do you think you’re doing?

 

-Leta called it teasing?

 

-And you’re doing this because she told you? Was that kneazle a play? 

 

-What? No! Of course not! -Newt put his hands inside his pockets and took a step back, so Percival at least had that small mercy.- I mean, Leta didn’t tell me anything like that. She only said one day how handsome you are and I haven’t stopped thinking about it ever since. I… We’ve known each other for years and it’s not like we’re too apart in… In… 

 

-In age, you mean. -Percival finished and scratched a non-existent itch on his forehead.- Okay, uh… I get that teenagers talk about those things. Believe me, everyone does at some point. But Newt, darling. You’re only a child, and you’re looking for some kind of… something you know nothing about. You try to… tease me and all that, to get what?

 

That had Newt at a loss of words.

 

-No, come on. Tell me. You corner me here, with nice music, maybe a dance if you’d come out earlier with everyone in the ballroom. And that would’ve been fine because professors, students and even ghosts danced. -Percival wanted him to understand. Because many men, other lesser men, were just weak and would have likely gave in, having Newt confused, hurt and thinking it was normal.- Newt, I can dance, talk and even have a friendship with you like I have with your brother. You want something else and I’m not the one, darling. I’m too old and you’re too young.

 

-So… 

 

Here it comes. Percival knew teenagers. And heartbroken teenagers tended to shout, cry, punch something and run away.

 

-So… -Newt repeated.- If not for my age, we could…?

 

-What?! -He couldn’t believe it. Oh, crap.- Is that all you get from what I’ve just said?

 

-Well… yes?

 

Oh shit. Fuck. Okay. So that had never happened to him. Teenage crushes come and go quickly, maybe this would happen to Newt, too. 

 

-Well, you’re mistaken. -He said a little bit too harsh.- I’m sorry, Newt. Look, you’re a handsome kid. Someday you’ll be a headache to people like me, but you’re only a child and the right thing to do is this. Now, the right thing to do for you is to stop listening to any Lestrange in your life, ask your brother about sex and safety and please, go back to your dorms. Will you do that?

 

-A dance. -Newt said out of the blue.- 

 

-Sorry, what?

 

-A dance. You said it was fine. To dance, I mean. Not… the other thing, just… dance? -Newt struggled to ask, and it seemed like an innocent thing to do. He’d danced with two other students just a few hours ago, and so he nodded.- It’s a fun, harmless, innocent thing to do.

 

He fucking nodded.

And soon enough he found himself dancing in the ballroom, next to Minerva and Albus trying to look nice while dancing with ghosts they couldn’t even touch. Leta Lestrange was dancing with an older girl from Hufflepuff and most kids were running around and playing pranks on each other. The ballroom was mostly empty and Graves found another professor dancing with a kid. Harmless.  
The waltz had Newt way too close to him, but Percival stood his ground, as the responsible adult that he was, and didn’t allow the teenager to caress him or anything worse. God, he shouldn’t have said yes to a dance, even in the ballroom. So he was lucky when the music stopped before Newt had the opportunity to reach for the nape of his neck. Percival pretended it didn’t happen, because it couldn’t happen. Newt had to learn to trust him, and listen to him because experience had to win over impulse. 

 

-It’s time to go, Newt. -Percival said, softly so Newt wouldn’t flinch this time. He didn’t like being harsh, but he knew no other way to be.- Please, remember what I’ve told you.

 

The teenager was blushing, maybe it was the dancing part or the Try To Grab Your Much Older Professor part, but Percival suspected this was what he’d wanted all along. Newt made no move towards him after that and followed him without another word on the subject until he was about to go back to his dorm.

 

-You know, Percival… I know my brother likes you. But he likes many other people, too. And I didn’t want you with Theseus that way. I made up the part with Leta. -He said so quick Percival almost didn’t catch it.- I still don’t want you two like… a couple. Because he can’t help himself and he’d only hurt you. I’m not like that. I’m loyal, you see…?

 

And with that, Newt was gone after a surprising wink. 

What the fuck had just happened? That’s the only question that repeated itself in his head on his way back to his bedroom. It was near the highest tower and he didn’t even register the path. He just followed his instincts and remembered to change into his night clothes before getting into bed. 

Next morning, he wrote a letter to the Ministry of Magic, asking to go back to America at the end of the school year. He couldn’t say exactly why, so he made it all up and prayed for patience.   
Too many months ahead with a teenager in love and his horny brother weren’t going to be good for his mental health.


	2. When I kissed the teacher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Newt's been expelled from Hogwarts and his mother saves the day by suggesting he finishes his studies in Ilvermorny... Coincidentally, that's where Mr. Graves currently is.
> 
> Now that Newt is older, all of his problems must go away.... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: 20/04/2019 I just found out I didn't put the letter Newt sends her at the end of this chapter. It's on now, enjoy!!
> 
> Hi!!  
> I just wanted to say a few things before you read this...
> 
> -I'm Spanish, my first language is Spanish and I know like 1/4 about American culture and 2/4 about British culture.  
> -I know a few things about Ilvermorny but I changed most of it anyways. It's fan fiction.  
> -Newt's House is still Hufflepuff because that's where he'd been chosen at and there's no way I'm placing him somewhere else for one School Year only.  
> -I know next to nothing about crows/ravens.  
> -All mistakes are my own. So sorry about that.  
> -It'd make me very happy if you left your opinion right after you've read it and I'll forever love you.

Newt had felt miserable for the past year. After he turned fourteen, he realized Mr. Graves was the one for him and no one else would convince him otherwise. Not even Mr. Graves himself. He’d met him before he started teaching in Hogwarts thanks to Theseus, because they were friends after his brother finished his last year in Ilvermorny, Massachusetts when Percival had his first professor job there.

Newt didn’t know the details or the great adventures they lived there because Theseus had very little time after he was hired in the Ministry of Magic, but he’d seen the man thrice before he was his teacher. And he was in love with him.  
Leta of course knew it, and tried to make him talk to the older man more, get more attention in class or even try to duel with him. But Newt had no desire to look so desperate so he waited, admired in the distance and waited a little bit more.

A lot, actually.

Until one day in his Fifth year the Yule Ball gave him a chance to get closer to the professor. It was a disaster. Percival Graves was a much better man than he’d thought and that made him want him more and more. Everyone was afraid of him, or didn’t pay the foreigner much attention because he was a little too rough, a little too loud… He didn’t like the gap between the purebloods, the half-bloods and the muggleborns because in America, he said, that was stupid. But they had an even stupider policy with muggles or, as he said, no-majs so he judged just enough to be just angry.  
So he treated everyone equally, just like professors McGonagall and Dumbledore did, and Newt admired him for that. And Mr. Graves wasn’t an ogre. He had a temper with idiots, he was a stubborn man, determined and dedicated to his work. Newt knew he loved working with children, teaching them not only magic but also principles and values.  
So Newt, young and new to the world, started to feel something different when Mr. Graves smiled at him over breakfast, touched his shoulders to center him before a difficult spell or gave him his own quill if Newt forgot his.

That was stupid. He knew that. Because love stories didn’t begin with a handful of words spoken in a year between visits to his brother, and then again another handful of shy and muttered words in a school year.

Newt felt lost, actually. Because Leta only shrugged and felt the same with another girl from Seventh year and couldn’t even say more than “hello” or “thank you”. Leta was better at expressing herself and showing her emotions in everything… but that. Rosemary Olsen was just too much for her, or so she said, but that didn’t stop her from admiring her in the distance. Much like him, she said.

But this was different. Because Newt was in love with an older man, and he knew these things happened under very different circumstances but Mr. Graves would never hurt him that way ever. Newt didn’t want to get hurt, just be loved in return. Was that so difficult?  
Apparently yes, because his seduction plan made Mr. Graves go away for the next year, left him brokenhearted and a little bit angry at him because… did he really had to put an entire ocean between them? Was that necessary?

So he focused on his passion: animals. He helped his mother more every day with their hippogriffs, learned about them and in holidays he went on his own adventures. He discovered, in their own forest back home, over two hundred species of magical creatures he’d never seen before. He put all his knowledge into his notebooks and one day Mr. Dumbledore found out about them and went out with him to learn about it all. Of course, he knew he’d been in love with Mr. Graves, so he tried to make him forget about his absence by making him work on his passion.  
It went a little sideways, because by the end of Sixth year another creature-related incident happened and they tried to expel him from the school. His father stopped talking to him and his mother and brother saved the day: allow him to complete his education in Ilvermorny.  
He couldn’t count all the times that he cried over Percival. All the sleepless nights he’d tried to go back in time and don’t screw it all up… all to no avail. Even Leta had been angry at him for some time. And now she wouldn’t talk to him because her parents forbid it. He’d taken the fall and now he paid the price: he was going to America. He was going to see Percival after an awful year, after trying to forget about how humiliated and hurt he’d felt that night and the months later, when none of them knew how to behave around each other. So even when Mr. Graves was there… everything felt so awkward and tense, none of them were the same.

Now it was summer. And he had been packing and rejecting what he would carry for the past week. In two days, he and Theseus would take a portkey to New York and then his brother would take him by car all the way to Ilvermorny.  
He was so nervous he barely ate and spent his time with his mother’s hippogriffs. There was a beautiful black and brown calf that was starting to be more adventurous, so Newt helped her around the forest under the watchful eye of her mother.  
That night, as he was trying to sleep, he heard his window open and then Leta was in his room, looking miserable, sad and so angry even her magic buzzed around her frame.

-So, you’re leaving… -She started, and then after two steps closer to him, she stopped and turned around to look anywhere else but at him.-

-I… My mother and brother set it all up. Mrs. McGonagall said it’d be the best thing to do. Mr. Dumbledore also backed them all up, so the Director had no other option.

She turned to him and embraced him tightly. They both cried because they knew they wouldn’t see each other in at least a year, and Newt only had her as a friend. She could make new friends so easily that he’d always been a little jealous, but Newt wasn’t so lucky.  
Their last night was wonderful. They talked about so many things they’d done and lived and they promised each other they’d always be in touch somehow.  
Newt left too soon after that. And his new adventure began once he looked at the beautiful park surrounding him… he was in Central Park and Theseus was waiting for him there. He was working with the MACUSA as a junior Auror because of his duelling skills.  
They hugged and of course Newt fussed over his older brother for once. Usually, it was the other way, but Newt had grown and he was a different now. His work with the creatures back home had made him a proper mother hen, and his brother was his new victim here.

After a hearty meal, Theseus wasted no time in getting them on the road. Those new cars were absolutely amazing, and Newt had to hear for a whole hour boring facts about them. But he was so happy to see his brother, and to be in another country he had nothing to complain about. In fact, he was so enthralled in the view he almost missed what Theseus said.

-Sorry, what?

Theseus smiled and pinched his leg.

-I said Percival is going to be surprised to see you. It’s been a long time and just last month he asked about you, but I didn’t tell him you were coming. I bet he doesn’t even know which one is his left hand…

-Don’t be mean…

And the conversation drifted to mum’s hippogriffs, and how Father was still angry, and just how awful the Blacks were with Leta in all that mess. Newt didn’t feel like talking about the accident and of course his big brother didn’t press. It was just too much and his mind was already occupied in other things.

He was nervous, and a little scared because Mr. Graves seemed upset the last time he’d seen him. 

-Hey… -Theseus said and Newt turned to him. He didn’t realized they’d stopped until then, but his brother had a wrapped box in his hands now and Newt blushed.- Happy birthday, Newt. I should’ve sent it last week, but… I wanted to see your face.

His brother pressed his lips together and handed him the package. Newt opened it carefully and realized there were two notebooks.

-Thank you, Thes… 

-That’s not all… -He took one of them and opened it. The pages were all empty, of course, but Newt could feel its power.- I’ll take one of them and when you write on the other, I’ll get the message. 

That was so thoughtful Newt wanted to cry. His brother had a big heart and a bigger smile when Newt pressed the notebook close to his chest.  
That notebook would become his connection to him and only him. That made him so happy they talked about it all the way to Ilvermorny, when the muggle world started to fade and magic seemed to greet them in a very different way than back home. Here everything was so natural and primal, untamed and free Newt was sure he’d love to see the whole world and explore places like this.  
The mountains grew bigger, greener, colder, then warm and then cold again. Ilvermorny was so beautiful it was a shame his mind didn’t pay it the attention it deserved. The school was different than Hogwarts in many, many things…  
They left the car to ride what was left of the way in a couple of thestrals free of reins and no guide because they knew where to go. The school wasn’t built like a castle, but like a huge mansion, so big it rivaled against Hogwarts. Its fence and walls were full of living gargoyles, protecting the school and talking to students, parents and professors alike. The school year would start in one more week, so Newt was going to live there with a few more students until then. 

And his week was amazing. His only disappointment was that Mr. Graves wasn’t there yet, but he seized the opportunity to explore, find the shy creatures he wanted to meet and find his place there. Apparently, their dorms were individual and common rooms were all over. The school was nice, but his alone-time finished too soon when it filled with students and someone else he really wanted to see…

The day the students were sorted, there was some sort of turmoil because Newt wasn’t going to go to any House. “Artemis is a Hufflepuff, and there’s no Hufflepuff here. So he will be a visitor and a guest, but his House is not replaceable”, said the Pukwudgie on the floor, and the rest nodded in agreement. Most students wondered about him, out loud and shameless in their questions. Newt felt so embarrassed he didn’t answer most of those questions and just kept to himself the whole time the ceremony lasted.  
No signs of Mr. Graves.

Apparently, he’d been helping the MACUSA division dealing with the worst criminals on America, or so the Principal said. She also said Mr. Graves was a consultant for them, and he was helping an old friend from the school to become the new Madam President and that took a lot of time, so they were lucky to have him this year.  
The next day, Mr. Graves was back.

He didn’t see him until the last period, and by then Newt wanted to burst into flames and just disappear… but he was there, and it was his only option if he wanted to finish his studies and pursue his dream. Also, he really wanted to be able to look older, mature and in general a young man instead of a child like the last time they’d seen each other.  
Though nothing really had changed since then, Newt felt a lot calmer than the weeks before, now that he was going to face Percival, and he did everything he could to look just like it.

At first, the moment Mr. Graves stepped in the classroom, he didn’t notice the shy teenager near the blackboard. A different person might have sat in front of his desk but Newt knew he didn’t sit much and mostly he walked around a lot, talked a lot and gestured even more. That made him smile, and of course it had to happen then… Percival looked at him after greeting a student and he stopped breathing. Both of them, really.  
But Newt also smiled wider after a few seconds and then turned his attention to his books. Mr. Graves had to repeat a couple of sentences after that, and more often than not, their eyes met and somehow Newt found the strength to pretend he didn’t want to go to him, kiss him right there and remind him of the night he said age was the only issue was no longer a problem.

Of course, he wouldn’t do any of that. He wasn’t a coward, but he didn’t want to get Mr. Graves in trouble. 

Anyway, Newt didn’t get the chance to be alone with Mr. Graves for another week, because the professor avoided him as much as he could and Newt didn’t want to be like a predator chasing after his prey. That wasn’t the best way to establish a relationship, so Newt waited, studied, made a friend (not a human friend) and realized his life had changed so much he sometimes felt dizzy.

In that week, Newt explored a tiny part of the many mountains surrounding Ilvermorny, and scribbled notes on his diary (not the one Theseus gave him) of everything he saw there. He drew the caves, the cliffs, strange and beautiful plants and trees, and some non-magical animals he’d never seen. He came up close to a real wampus, but the creature was playing with her cubs and a hiss was enough to make him go away.

When he walked past the gargoyles, one of them snickered as he looked around and his eyes met Percival’s. Of course, he was Mr. Graves but in his head, Newt had called him Percival ever since their almost kiss that night.  
But there he was, hands in his pockets, dressed in muggle clothes looking even more handsome than last year, and facing his biggest fear: Newton.

-Hi… -Newt faced him as bravely as he could, dirty clothes, messy hair and a notebook in his hand, looking very much like an explorer instead of a seventeen year old student.- I thought you were avoiding me. So waiting for me to come back is not very effective.

Mr. Graves actually laughed at this, and it made Newt smile too, though he hid it behind his notebook. He was nervous, but Merlin be damned if he was going to run from this. He wasn’t a coward. He had exposed his feelings long ago and now he was not going to go back and pretend it all happened. If anything, he felt more attracted to him and wanted to know more about his life. 

Falling in love was easy, the hardest thing was to keep loving the other person after knowing them. Truly knowing them.  
And he intended to do just that.

-Well, straight to the point… should’ve seen it comin’. 

-Yes, well. One of us has to. -It wasn’t meant to be an accusation, but it certainly looked like that if Percival’s expression had anything to say about that.- Sorry, I didn’t mean to-

-Yes, yes you did. -He interrupted Newt, but he wasn’t angry. Not at all.- And you’re completely right, so… come to my office and let’s talk about this. And I mean it. What the hell are you even doing here anyway? Your brother didn’t even mention it last week and he never shuts up about you… 

Then, as Mr. Graves was leading him back to the school, he started about his older brother and by the time they were inside his office, he’d called Theseus a handful of the most imaginative insults he’d ever heard.  
Newt sat by a fireplace that lit itself on as Mr. Graves finished his rant on Theseus, and the young man had to keep from laughing so much his chest and throat hurt. But by the time Mr. Graves had sat before him, he’d managed to only have a little red on his cheeks. Percival sighed, sat back and relaxed for a couple of seconds as if to ground himself before talking to him. That sobered Newt up and he waited for Percival to talk, allowing himself to take a good look at him while there were no eyes on Newt. 

Mr. Graves was beautiful. Handsome? Sure. But he was truly beautiful, and it was even more appealing that he was a well-known and skilled fighter. He played dirty in duels, had even apprehended a few criminals in the last five years or so. He was kind, but rough enough to make people think twice before getting too close to him. That was just like Newt, because people often considered too rude after thinking he was a sweet, shy little boy. Appearances were not often the truth about a person.

-Well, what are you doing here, Newt? -Just like him, straight to the point.-

-I thought you’d know.

-Know what?

-About… what happened at Hogwarts… -He tried to make him finish itm, but it was clear Mr. Graves knew nothing about the accident. It was hard for him to tell anyone, let alone Percival.- I was involved in an incident with a magical creature. It hurt a kid in Second Year and I stepped forward. I couldn’t… I took the creature away but some Lestrange caught her and they… put her down. She was only scared and scratched a kid because he was too close to her. He didn’t even want to press charges but they killed her anyway… 

Of course, there was more to the story. Percival knew that, too, but he only nodded and let it go. Newt sighed in relief, still mourning for the creature, shocked by Leta’s part in the whole thing and helpless as he was forever expelled from Hogwarts.

-So they made you come here. -Mr. Graves said after a couple of minutes in silence. He knew Newt needed the time.-

-Yes, well… My mother, brother and Mr. Dumbledore made it happen. They knew I wanted to finish my studies, even if what I really want is to explore the world and document all about magical creatures… -That made him smile, because it was his true passion, and not even what happened in Hogwarts had sabotaged that.- And I was sure you were here, too.

-Ah… that. -Mr. Graves made a noise that Newt couldn’t identify. He thought he was annoyed, but his body language didn’t look like it, so Newt remained calm.- Newt, what…. What do you expect to happen? Between us, I mean.

That… left him speechless. Really. He didn’t know how to respond to that because he didn’t think they’d star talking about it so soon.

-You see, that’s what I mean, Newt. You can’t even talk about it, yet you expect something from me and I jus-

-You’re wrong. -That made Percival shut his mouth so fast, Newt heard his teeth click.- You’re completely wrong! I was just… not expecting the question. That’s all! I want to meet you, and I want you to meet me. Because you don’t know me, at all. You think of me as Theseus’ little brother, too untamed for the civilised world. You think of me like I’m some little, helpless, lost boy who’s only infatuated. But I’m not! -Through all this time, he’d been talking without pause and he was paying the price now, his chest hurting from the lack of air and his face even redder than usual.- I’m seventeen years old, yes. But you’re not even that old and it’s not like it’s illegal in this country to… be together.

-Okay, stop now, please… -He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, allowing himself and Newt a moment to collect themselves.- You’re really, really commited to pursue this, right?

Newt bit the inside of his cheeks, looked into his eyes and nodded, slowly. No rush in saying otherwise. It was only true.

-You need to give me time, here. I mean it, Newt… 

-So… 

Newt looked up, hope in his eyes as he saw Mr. Graves’ expression, firm and serious but not angry or disappointed. Of course, he could’ve just said no, made him go away and spend a whole awkward year in hell. But this was so, so different… There was actually some hope and Newt had to stop himself from smiling from ear to ear, but his eyes twitched in anticipation.

-So, I need to think about it. You’re not a kid anymore, but you’re still my student. And I’m older than you, so that means I won’t get any younger, not even for you. Also, your brother would kill me for even considering it.

-Oh… let’s just keep it a secret, then. Until graduation, I guess… 

-That easy for you? -Percival asked, completely baffled at the way Newt talked naturally about the whole thing.- 

-That hard for you? -Newt responded, taking his leave and allowing Mr. Graves to muse on the scene that had just happened between them.-

\--------------- --------------- --------------- ---------------

 

Six weeks later, Leta received a letter from a huge raven that loved corn above all caresses.  
It was a common raven, the resilient, magical creature the american wizarding world used instead of owls. The letter, the first one she’d gotten ever since Newt left, was from him. She tried not to cry, because she had been so lonely she missed her only friend so much it hurt her. But Leta was also strong, so she wiped her tears away, smiled as much as she could when she read her name in Newt’s perfect handwriting, and started to laugh two minutes in.

"Dearest Leta,

It’s early in the morning, too early to be out of bed, but I had to tell you about the most amazing thing that’s happened to me ever since I got here. 

First of all, Mr. Graves avoided me for a whole week before he had the necessary courage to face me. Can you imagine? Grown man hiding from me? But we talked, and he said that with my age, his age, my brother and the whole teacher-student taboo thing, it would be too difficult to try to date. He asked for some time and the next day he said “yes”. 

He said “yes”! 

It’s going to be a secret, of course, because it’s so forbidden we could both be in a lot of trouble for the rest of our lives. We’ll start being public once I’ve graduated, a few months later actually, because Percival could still face consequences if anyone suspected. 

Anyway. Everything was going well for a couple of weeks. I even managed to steal a couple of kisses in his office, and… well, nothing really, but it was very intense. Nothing happened, actually, but we were very close and I was so very embarrassed that… 

I’m distracting myself. Sorry.

The thing is. Now for real. A few weeks later, I completely forgot we were hiding from the world and… We were in class, you see? He was walking all around the classroom, reading aloud a complicated spell in native Algonquian instead of latin, which is really amazing… And then when we were writing it down (it is complicated, but challenging), I asked for help, so he got close, leaned down next to me… And well.

Let’s just say everybody screamed when I kissed the professor. 

We managed to convince the Principal I’d been hit with a love potion, so nothing really happened, but I’m so embarrassed I barely go out. Now we’re being extra careful, because most kids are convinced we’re together and no love potion could do that to anyone. There’s a boy who’s trying to get me to talk to him about Mr. Graves, and I think I might just die here in my room because I can’t face them.

But i have to go to class, and I have to explore the mountains… And next weekend, Percival is coming with me, so I… I’m babbling again. How can you babble-write? Well, I can do it. 

Leta, I miss you so much. Next month I’ll be able to spend four days back home, so I want us to meet You-Know-Where and I’ll explain everything again.

Lots of love,  
N. A. F. Scamander."

<>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter's title will be "Finally facing my Waterloo" and it'll be written in Percival's POV.

**Author's Note:**

> Part two, very soon.
> 
>  
> 
> Did you like this one?


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